🍪 We use cookies on Crowd2Fund to help us give you the best experience. Find out more by reading our Privacy Policy
Don’t invest unless you're prepared to lose money. This is a high-risk investment.
You may not be able to access your money easily and are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Take 2 mins to learn more.
From Humble Beginnings to Luxury Market Leaders: GC Couture's Sach and Marie Reveal Their Sweet Success Story and Future Ambitions
1st August 2024
The Genuine Cake Company is a luxurious award-winning cake company based in Mayfair working with 5-star hotels and a recent contract with Harrods, they are also a returning C2F Client. We sat down with the Directors, Sach and Marie, to discuss their business's growth and future plans. Watch the video above for a glimpse into the conversation, and read the full discussion below.
Crowd2Fund: So, let’s dive in, how do you make money as a business?
Sach: We make money by selling products to the end user. We're in the luxury market, with clients like Harrods and Cartier. We have a 70% gross margin in our profit margins, which helps fund our business going forward.
Crowd2Fund: Marie, can you tell us about your journey so far and your vision for the future?
Marie: We started this business from home 15 years ago and have grown significantly, becoming preferred suppliers to many top hotels. Our ultimate goal is to open a shop in Mayfair and potentially franchise to places like Dubai and New York. The community at Crowd2Fund can help us achieve these ambitions. At the moment, we're looking to expand, and we have exciting opportunities lined up with brands like Nobu.
We're planning to launch the GC Couture Cake Room, where customers can enjoy sweet treats, cupcakes, and even order bespoke cakes. We're also in talks with the Peninsula and Fortnum & Mason for similar setups.
Crowd2Fund: That sounds fantastic! Could you elaborate on your partnerships and unique offerings?
Marie: Absolutely. We have partnerships with top hotels like The Savoy, Clarity's, and The Dorchester. One of our unique products is the "everything free" cake, which is free from egg, dairy, and wheat. We also have a cake shake, a milkshake with cake inside. Another unique offering is our indulgence bar, a lavish table of sweet treats, which we believe is unmatched in the market.
Crowd2Fund: Amazing! And Sach, can you tell us why you believe this is an exciting opportunity for investors and why they should trust you with their money?
Sach: We're growing at 25% year-on-year on our online business, and our bespoke marketing business is growing similarly. Together with our profits, which have doubled, our turnover has increased by 30%. We've been part of the Crowd2Fund family for several years, and we've used the money wisely and given investors a return. We're more mature as a company now, with some huge clients on our books, and we continue to grow. We have a great team that supports the growth and ensures we're here for the next 10, 15, 20 years.
Crowd2Fund: Thank you for sharing your vision and plans. It's great to have you back raising with us and to see how your business has grown over the years.
Past performance and forecasts are not reliable indicators of future results.
Your capital invested is not covered for compensation in the event of a loss by the FSCS.
Tax treatment will depend on the individual circumstances and may be subject to change. Please see our Risk section before making an investment decision.
Risk summary for P2P agreements or P2P portfolios
Estimated reading time: 2 min
Due to potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this
investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
You could lose the money you invest
Many peer-to-peer (P2P) loans are made to borrowers who can't borrow money from traditional
lenders such as banks. These borrowers have a higher risk of not paying you back.
Advertised rates of return aren't guaranteed. If a borrower doesn't pay you back as agreed, you
could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of
losing your money.
These investments can be held in an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). An IFISA does not reduce
the risk of the investment or protect you from losses, so you can still lose all your money. It
only means that any potential gains from your investment will be tax free.
You are unlikely to get your money back quickly
Some P2P loans last for several years. You should be prepared to wait for your money to be
returned even if the borrower repays on time.
Some platforms may give you the opportunity to sell your investment early through a 'secondary
market', but there is no guarantee you will be able to find someone willing to buy.
Even if your agreement is advertised as affording early access to your money, you will only get
your money early if someone else wants to buy your loan(s). If no one wants to buy, it could take
longer to get your money back.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky.
Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do
well.
A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk-investments.
The P2P platform could fail
If the platform fails, it may be impossible for you to collect money on your loan. It could
take years to get your money back, or you may not get it back at all. Even if the platform has
plans in place to prevent this, they may not work in a disorderly failure.
You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed
regulated firms, does not cover investments in P2P loans. You may be able to claim if you
received regulated advice to invest in P2P, and the adviser has since failed. Try the FSCS
investment protection checker here.
Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance.
If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated platform, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn
more about FOS protection here.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA's website here.
For further information about peer-to-peer lending (loan-based crowdfunding), visit the FCA's website here.
